Beef Barley Soup with Roasted Root Vegetables

Rose Reisman Recipe

Everyone loves a hearty beef barley soup, especially in the colder months. I found that roasting the vegetables gives an incredible flavour. The soup takes some time to prepare, but you can double the batch and freeze the remains for later. Makes 6 Servings

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the root vegetables on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with vegetable oil. Spray the vegetables with oil.

Roast for 20 minutes, just until tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, dust the beef with flour. In a large skillet sprayed with vegeta- ble oil, sear the beef just until browned on all sides (about 3 minutes). Set aside.

In a large saucepan, add the oil and sauté the onions with the garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutesor until no longer wet. Add the beef and stock and cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beef is almost tender. Add the barley and root veg- etables and cover and simmer for 20 minutes or just until the barley is cooked. Add the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.